UAE’s Etihad Airways on Friday added Russia along other routes to its list of suspended services, as the coronavirus continues to hit the global aviation industry hard, The National reports.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline said services from the UAE capital to several cities in India, Kazakhstan, Russia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka are the latest to be grounded in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“Due to the spread of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus and its continuing impact on air travel services globally, Etihad Airways continues to follow UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives and has implemented a series of consolidated network changes,” the Abu Dhabi-based carrier said in a statement.
The UAE government announced this week it will organize special charter flights to Russia to facilitate the return of travelers whose journeys were disrupted by the outbreak.
The two countries decided to temporarily suspend air services between Russia and UAE, and all flights from the Gulf country will be canceled from Friday until June 30.
The Emirates said it will operate selected charter flights to Moscow and St Petersburg between March 20 and March 29.
The authorities added that only Russian nationals will be allowed to travel on these special flights from Dubai to Moscow and St Petersburg, while the return Emirates flights will only be open to non-Russian nationals.
